Queereads YYC: 'Real Life'
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Queereads YYC's 75th event will be held February 8th, 2026 @ 7pm! We’ll be discussing 'Real Life' by Brandon Taylor.
Attend this book club in-person at Owl's Nest Books or send us a message to attend via Zoom!
Whether you read the book, didn't finish the book, or didn't start the book, this event is open to anyone interested in a relaxed discussion about the themes and topics explored in the book. We will discuss opinions and/or personal experiences related to the book in a relaxed setting. We try our best to create a comfortable, safe space for the queer community, and if you have any questions or comments we would love to hear from you. Hope to see you there!
*About the book*
"A novel of startling intimacy, violence, and mercy among friends in a Midwestern university town, from an electric new voice.
Almost everything about Wallace is at odds with the Midwestern university town where he is working uneasily toward a biochem degree. An introverted young man from Alabama, black and queer, he has left behind his family without escaping the long shadows of his childhood. For reasons of self-preservation, Wallace has enforced a wary distance even within his own circle of friends—some dating each other, some dating women, some feigning straightness. But over the course of a late-summer weekend, a series of confrontations with colleagues, and an unexpected encounter with an ostensibly straight, white classmate, conspire to fracture his defenses while exposing long-hidden currents of hostility and desire within their community.
Real Life is a novel of profound and lacerating power, a story that asks if it’s ever really possible to overcome our private wounds, and at what cost."
Genres (taken from Goodreads): “Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Race"
*Accessibility*
Attend this book club in-person at Owl's Nest Books or send us a message to attend via Zoom. This event is held in spoken English, the meeting will be held after store hours so the space will be quiet.
IN-PERSON: There are no steps to get into Owl's Nest Books. There is a single occupancy washroom that is accessible to rolling. Armless folding chairs will be used during the meeting - feel free to bring a sitting cushion if you would prefer the ground. Masking if not enforced but welcome.
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the îethka Nakoda Nations (Chiniki, Bearspaw, Goodstoney), the Otipemisiwak Métis Government (Districts 5 and 6), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
.
ID: The book cover. A red background with heavy black horizontal lines that are broken up across the page. Perched on one of the lines there is a drawn bird (like a sparrow). The author and title are written in yellow overtop.
Attend this book club in-person at Owl's Nest Books or send us a message to attend via Zoom!
Whether you read the book, didn't finish the book, or didn't start the book, this event is open to anyone interested in a relaxed discussion about the themes and topics explored in the book. We will discuss opinions and/or personal experiences related to the book in a relaxed setting. We try our best to create a comfortable, safe space for the queer community, and if you have any questions or comments we would love to hear from you. Hope to see you there!
*About the book*
"A novel of startling intimacy, violence, and mercy among friends in a Midwestern university town, from an electric new voice.
Almost everything about Wallace is at odds with the Midwestern university town where he is working uneasily toward a biochem degree. An introverted young man from Alabama, black and queer, he has left behind his family without escaping the long shadows of his childhood. For reasons of self-preservation, Wallace has enforced a wary distance even within his own circle of friends—some dating each other, some dating women, some feigning straightness. But over the course of a late-summer weekend, a series of confrontations with colleagues, and an unexpected encounter with an ostensibly straight, white classmate, conspire to fracture his defenses while exposing long-hidden currents of hostility and desire within their community.
Real Life is a novel of profound and lacerating power, a story that asks if it’s ever really possible to overcome our private wounds, and at what cost."
Genres (taken from Goodreads): “Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Race"
*Accessibility*
Attend this book club in-person at Owl's Nest Books or send us a message to attend via Zoom. This event is held in spoken English, the meeting will be held after store hours so the space will be quiet.
IN-PERSON: There are no steps to get into Owl's Nest Books. There is a single occupancy washroom that is accessible to rolling. Armless folding chairs will be used during the meeting - feel free to bring a sitting cushion if you would prefer the ground. Masking if not enforced but welcome.
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the îethka Nakoda Nations (Chiniki, Bearspaw, Goodstoney), the Otipemisiwak Métis Government (Districts 5 and 6), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
.
ID: The book cover. A red background with heavy black horizontal lines that are broken up across the page. Perched on one of the lines there is a drawn bird (like a sparrow). The author and title are written in yellow overtop.
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Where is it happening?
Owl's Nest Books, 813 49 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2S 1G8, Canada
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherQueereads YYC
